Wheelchairs Prohibited in the Last Place You’d Expect

In November, another woman seeking assisted living for her mother-in-law emailed the admissions coordinator at VillageCare at 46 & Ten in Manhattan. “We do not admit residents on wheelchairs,” the coordinator wrote back.

By phone, the woman explained that her mother-in-law had used a chair for decades and could transfer in and out without assistance. The coordinator wouldn’t budge. “We could not accept anyone in a wheelchair,” she said.